The present invention is related to system cooling, and more particularly to a conditioning and filling system for a spray evaporative cooling working fluid.
Modem electronics systems generate a great deal of heat in a very small space and must be cooled in order to dissipate the heat. Systems to date have used a variety of liquid and air cooling techniques to draw heat away from the electronic system. However, modem high-density electronics systems tend to pack devices in smaller and smaller spaces, increasing the heat generated per unit volume. Failure to remove adequate amounts of heat can result in overheating, leading to system error or failure.
One method of removing heat from an electronic system is spray evaporative cooling. Spray evaporative cooling works by generating a fine mist of droplets which form a thin layer of fluid on the components to be cooled. The fluid begins to heat up once in contact with the component. When the fluid reaches its boiling point, the molecules of liquid turn into a gas and xe2x80x9cboil offxe2x80x9d the component, thereby transferring the heat. The thin layer of fluid is replenished with a fine spray as the fluid evaporates.
However, the success of spray evaporative cooling is dependent in part on the condition of the working fluid. Particulates, water, gases, and other foreign matter can contaminate the working fluid and decrease its effectiveness. Such foreign matter can enter the working fluid while the fluid is being manufactured, when it is being transferred from a storage container into the system being cooled, or during operation of the system. A contaminated working fluid lowers the efficiency of the cooling system, which can lead to short life and unreliability of the electronic components being cooled.
To address these and other needs, systems and methods have been devised for conditioning the working fluid of a spray evaporative cooling system and for filling the treated fluid into a system. An exemplary conditioning system includes a first processing section for degassing and dehydrating a working fluid, a second processing section for filtering the working fluid, and a monitoring section for sensing a condition of the working fluid, a flow of the working fluid depending on the condition of the working fluid.
An exemplary method of conditioning an evaporative spray cooling working fluid includes heating the working fluid to a vaporized state, condensing the working fluid to a liquid state from the vaporized state, and filtering the working fluid.
Another aspect provides an exemplary method of conditioning a perfluorinated liquid. One exemplary method includes heating the perfluorinated liquid to a vaporized state, condensing the vaporized perfluorinated liquid, filtering the perfluorinated liquid through a perfluoroisobutylene (PFIB) filter, a gas/moisture filter, and a particulate filter, monitoring a condition of the perfluorinated liquid, and repeatedly filtering the perfluorinated liquid through the PFIB filter, the gas/moisture filter, and the particulate filter until the perfluorinated liquid reaches a predetermined condition.